674 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
OCT. 0 
strength and nerve for the stir and head toil of 
the mart. The hope of country life is quicken¬ 
ed brain and enterprise, born of the crush of 
men in crowds. To guide and commingle 
these streams of life is just the purpose for 
which “Rural New-Yorker” stands an em¬ 
blem and an utterauee, i ts business and glory 
is to be in this a power. 
To such a mission, the age and country oiler 
wondrous helps. The life we lead, the air we 
breathe, the dutios and empire resting on our 
country homes, have left on us but few markings 
of peasant life. The Y auk don’t play the peasant 
worth a cent. Besides, the rail and poney 
routes beaiing to every hamlet, before sun- 
dowu, the sun-up thoughts and doings of the 
world, the speaking tire that girts the laud, 
the voice along the wires, and all that our 
better life avails, fast leave onr peasant class 
in the dim distance as but a memory and a 
myth. 
Yet it by peasant you mean the dwellers in 
rural homes, the tillers of the soil, wc are in 
truth building up “the finest peasantry on 
earth." But to ns the word no longer bears 
its import of old. It no longer means a rustic 
look or garb, no longer marks an humble rev¬ 
erence and bashful fear of those above iu 
place, or wealth, or social chances. Our 
country dwellers of to day meet the situation. 
Self-government has educated the owners of 
the soil lor their place and duty. Above all 
others in numbers and bluke in the Republic, 
they step forward to beur up and defend this 
empire of the free. 
To help them with brain and purpose, light 
methods in the field and homes, right thoughts 
and tastes is wbat the Rural New-Yorker 
moans. God speed the work ! 
WHAT OTHERS SAY. 
Keeping Onions. —A Minnesota writer says, 
in the N. Y. Sun, that he makes as deep a pit 
as he euu with the plow for onioiiB and cab¬ 
bages in a dry, sheltered place near the house, 
scraping out all the loose dirt with a hoe, and 
putting in some chaff or straw from the 6traw 
stack, and tramping down well. Then ho 
hauls the onions from where they grew and 
piles them in carefully on this, aud puts more 
chaff on top and covers up with a foot of dirt 
from each side, and pack6 it smooth with the 
spade, where they can remain a part or all of 
the Winter, or until wanted. They were quoted 
at $1.25 last Winter and Spring iu Minneapolis. 
If they freeze it will make no difference; they 
will come out all right when the frost leaves 
the ground. Cabbages may be pulled up on 
a dry day and packed in the other end of the 
pit, roots up, and also covered with straw aud 
dirt, when they or the onions can be taken 
ont as wanted. The cellar is one of the worst 
places to keep onions or cabbages in, as it is 
almost always too damp* or w arm. 
A correspondent of the Mark Lane Ex¬ 
press says that be had opportunities of discuss¬ 
ing with two experienced American farmers 
the price at which wheat can be produced in 
their country. One said that it the price 
should drop below 80 cents (8s. 4d.) per bushel 
at Chicago, the area of wheat-gi owing in the 
United States would soon begin to decrease. 
The other considered that a farmer in the States 
was paid if ho received a dollar per bushel for 
his wheat, but lhat it would not answer to 
grow the crop for much less. He came from a 
district, too. where 35 bushel6per acre are often 
produced, and where he has water carriage 
close to his farm.—Most farmers in the West 
would be willing to sell their wheat for con¬ 
siderably lessyeariu and year out. It would bo 
more satisfactory, however, if the sections were 
mentioned from which these farmers came. 
“A discussion on the ear marking of cattle 
took place at a meeting of the Bcdale Charn- 
berof Agriculture the other day,” continues the 
same writer. “Dr. Brown, who read a paper 
on the subject, Look up a curious position. 
He did not seem to object to the ear-marking 
of women, a Bpccies of mutilation which is 
a survival of savagery, and only a little more 
tolerable than ringing noses. At any rate, he 
held that if women choose to be mutilated 
It was no one’s business but their own. When 
little girls uro takeu by their mothers to have 
their ears pierced, however, it is doubtful if 
they have much choice In the matter; and 
there seems to me to be more reason for the 
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty io Ani¬ 
mals to interfere with these atrocities thau 
with the ear-marking of cattle. The latter prac¬ 
tice seems cruel; but Dr. Brown did not 
succeed in showing how all cattle could be 
permanently marked in any way which would 
cause less suffering. Branding on Lhe hoofs 
is absurd ; for, as some one remarked at the 
meeting, it would often be necessary to wash 
the animals’ feet to find the marks. As to 
branding ou the horns, lhat answers very well 
with cattle which have horns, but cannot be 
carried out with very young animals or with 
polled cattle. Cannot some one invent a little 
machine that would quickly clip a letter or 
figure down to the roots of the hair? The 
question of ear-marking, however, applies 
chiefly to sheep. According to Dr. Brown, 
ringing pigs’noses is excusable, while dock¬ 
ing lambs’ tailB is inexcusable. Why ? Both 
operations are performed because it answers 
the purpose of those who keep the animals to 
have them done, aud the pig-ringing inflicts 
ten times as much suffering at the time as 
the lamb-docking does, besides being a per¬ 
petual source of discomfort afterwards. No. 
Dr. Brown, these nice distinctions “will not 
wash." If cattle aud 6heep are to be pro¬ 
tected. it will be only fair to stand up al60 
for girl6 and pigs. 
It is unfortunately impossible to get accu¬ 
rate statistics of the number of Short-horns 
on the continent of America, a writer in the 
Loudou Agricultural Gazette remarks. It 
may be stated, however, that herds are met 
in every direction, and that at one' sale alone 
this Autumn 300 head were sold in four days. 
It seemed to him that the Short-horn is des¬ 
tined to j lay a most important part in the agri¬ 
culture of America. It 6eems tobethe cosmo¬ 
politan of the various breeds of cattle. It 
Ihrivos all over, aud wherever cattle are 
known there it will be fouud. Its rapid ma¬ 
turing powers will give it the preference over 
all other breeds. 
Thick and Thin Seeding. The following 
letter was read before the Farmers’ Club at a 
late meeting. Wc Lake the letter and the sub¬ 
sequent discussion from the Husbandman of 
Elmira, (N. Y.) 
“1 have learned ol an instance of thin 
seedlug with oats, the results of which I 
think are worth repoiting. Mr. H. C. White- 
wood of Canisteo, N. Y., sowed last Spring 
upon five acres of measured ground, two aud 
a half bushels of oats, or two pecks per acre, 
and harvested and thrashed from the said five 
acres 355 buehela of oats, or 71 bushels per 
acre. The ground was a very rich piece of 
black mucky soil that had been marshy and 
covered with alders. The water had nearly 
disappeared aud last fall Mr. Wbitewood pulled 
up the alders and plowed the ground; he was 
more anxiouB to gel the land seeded to grass 
than to raise a crop of oats, and sowed the 
oats more to protect Lhe young grass plants 
than for any other purpose. The catch of 
grass is a decided success. About three years 
ago Mr. Wbitewood cleured a similar piece of 
land, plowed aud sowed to grass, sowing three 
pecks of oats to the acre and hurvested over 50 
buBhels per acre. He says that the oats in this 
case were so thick that in many places the 
grass was smothered. I obtained the above 
statement from Mr. Wbitewood in person. He 
is perfectly reliable and there is not the least 
doubt about it I am fully satisfied.—Charles 
Whiting.” 
W. A. Armstbono remarked that the Club 
might accept the report as true, and it sup¬ 
ports in a very striking mauner the proposi¬ 
tions made there regarding thin seeding. The 
ground was good, so each single plant reached 
out and spread by tillering until the space 
was occupied. 
J. S. Van Duzer said that there must be one 
practical good resulting from this discussion 
of seeding—that farmers will consider with 
more care the preparation of their land for 
the seed. Thorough fitting iB stipulated by the 
advocates of thin seeding as the first necessity. 
This should uot be misunderstood; yet there 
will be thin seeding on poor land, farmers will 
overlook the important requirement 60 often 
mentioned here—complete preparation—they 
will scant the seeding and be disappointed. He 
was satisfied that rich land does not require so 
much beed us poor land, whether the crop be 
wheat, barley or oats; but he was not sure that 
a reduction iu the amount of seed commonly 
used, without corresponding advantage in bet¬ 
ter preparation, would result in profit. 
J. Bridgman.— In the Spring of 1879, I be¬ 
gun sowing oats at the late of two bushels to 
the acre. After drilling a portion of the field 
I added a peck, and after proceeding over a 
considerable strip farther I set the drill for 
still another peck, making two and a half 
bushels to the acre, with the purpose of noting 
what difference might appear in the yield. As 
the result of my observations, I came to the 
conclusion that two and a half bushels were 
about right, aud I sowed that amount to the 
acre last Spring. The crop was 70 bushels to 
the acre, and I think it would have been less if 
I had sowed less seed. 
W. A. Armstrong— Yet we have a greater 
yield reported from two pecks of seed. 
J. Bridgman Baidit was true, and he thought 
the statement worthy of belief, for he has 
6ome knowledge of Mr. Whiting whose uame 
appears with the report, and he must say that 
ho is a gentleman whoso word is good. He 
telle a remarkable story, but it must be 
credited. 
G. W. Huffman last Spring sowed oats at 
the rate of one and a half bushel to the acre 
and the crop lodged, long before it was time 
for it to ripen, so he cut It for fodder. The 
land was good; it had been in beets and 
as a preparation had been manured. The 
oats were as thick as he wants to have them 
in any season, and it is probable that the thick 
growth caused them to lodge. On gravelly 
land two bnBhels of seed lo the acre may Be 
required, but he would never go beyond that. 
He has said that land not capable of yielding 
a full crop of wheat from five pecks of seed to 
the acre is not fit for wheat, and that is still 
his judgment. _ 
The Germantown Telegraph, the editor of 
which has made fruits a careful 6tudy, has 
somewhat revised his list of favorites. It is 
now as follows: 
STANDARD PEARR. 
1. Glffard, 10. Belle Lucrative, 
2. Doyenne d'F.te, it. Manning's Elizabeth, 
3. Early Catharine, 12. Seckel, 
4 . Klrtlaud, 13. Howell, 
s. TUoodgood, 14. Anjou, 
o. hummer Julienne, 15. Sheldon, 
7. Tyson, 10. St. Ghlslaln, 
8. Brandywine, 17. Lawrence, 
tt. Bartlett, 18. Reading. 
In the above list, from No. 1 to 8 are Sum¬ 
mer varieties: from 9 to 16 Autumn (early 
and late) ; and 17 and 18 Winter, thus afford¬ 
ing a sufficient uuinber for each of the periods, 
of the best known sorts for this region. 
APPLES. 
1. Maiden’s Blush, 7. Cornell's Fancy, 
2 . Baldwin. S. lied Astrachan, 
3. Smokehouse, 9. W'agener, 
4 . Northern spy, to. Porter, 
5. Smith’s Cider, 11. Gravensteln, 
e. Fallawater, 12. Tompkln’s Co. King, 
13. uoxbury Russet. 
PKACHK8. 
1. Crawford’s Early, 6. Crawford’s Late, 
2. Hale’s Early, 6. Ward’s Late, 
3. York’s Early, 7. Smock’s Late, 
4. Old Mixon, 8. Susquehanna. 
GRAPES. 
1. Telegraph, 4. Clinton, 
2. Concord, 5. Salem, 
3. Hartford, 6. Rogers’ No. 32. 
RASPBERRIES. 
1. Hornet, 3. Philadelphia, 
Ji. Herstlne, 4. Brandywine, 
STRAWBERRIES. 
1. Captain Jack, 3. Sharpless, 
2. Seth Boyden, 4. Triomphe de Gand. 
-- 
BRIEFLETS. 
The Chicago Fat Stock Show will be Nov. 
15th—20th. .People who believe in 
homoeopathy, instead of whipping their chil¬ 
dren very hard when they do wrong, should 
give them just a single, gentlest of taps. . . . 
. . According to M. Chevreul, one of the great¬ 
est advantages of draining is to insure the free 
access of atmospheric oxygen. A plant can¬ 
not live without oxygen any more than an 
animal. Even the roots cannot perform their 
duties in a soil insufficiently aerated. Hence 
the importance of stirring the soil when it is 
compact.Gather squashes, beets, 
mangelB and carrots. .... It is well to 
leave appleB In shallow heaps, as they are 
gathered in the orchard for a day or so if the 
weather Is fair.It is a good plan to 
give fruit trees a wash of lime, powdered aloes 
and soot at this time or a little later. Mice 
and rabbits are lees liable to gnaw the bark. 
The plan of making a mound of earth about 
newly transplanted trees, “so as to give sup¬ 
port to the stems" is, we think, a useless if 
not a bad one. It makes the bark tender and 
induces bud6 to push in the Spring. Besides, 
these little mounds really give no support. 
The earth yields to the swaying of the stem, 
leaving spaces which in Winter hold water or 
ice.Grape vineB may be advantage¬ 
ously pruned as soon as the leaves begin to 
fall. ..... The maximum of comfort and 
the minimum of expense should be the farmer’s 
motto.Sweet potatoes should not be 
dug until after the first frost. Then it is well 
to leave them for several days, covering them 
at night, if froBt is feared—with the vines. 
Sweet potatoes, to keep well, need a tempera¬ 
ture over 40 deg. They should he placed on 
shelves in single layers and exposed to free 
currents of air. 
-- 
CATALOGUES, ETC., RECEIVED. 
Fourth Annual Catalogue of the Agri¬ 
cultural and Mechanical College of 
Texas, for 1879- 80.—Like the other agricul¬ 
tural colleges, this promising young institution 
oweB it origin to the Congressional Morrill Bill 
passed in 1862, donating public lands to the 
several States and Territories which should pro¬ 
vide colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and 
the Mechanic Arte, On Nov. 1,1866, the Legis¬ 
lature of Texas formally accepted the provis¬ 
ions of the Congressional Act, and the State 
received from the General Government scrip 
for 180,000 acres of public land, the proceeds 
of which constitute tbe present permanent en¬ 
dowment of the College. In 1871 the Legisla¬ 
ture began to fulfill its obligations by the con¬ 
struction ol suitable buildings for which $202,- 
000 were appropriated, and the county of 
Brazos secured the location of the college by a 
donation of tbe. college farm—a tract of 2,416 
acres. Finally on Oct. 4lh, 1876, the college 
was opened. In the present session there are, 
wc noiice, 144 studunts. From the report of 
President. JohnG. James, we gather that until 
his incumbency, less than a year ago, Agricul¬ 
ture and the Mechanic Arts, for the benefit of 
which the institution was founded, were not 
only neglected, but that “ the college had 
sedulously cultivated a sentiment antagonistic 
to the development of tbeBe branches of study 
and which conmuially decried them.” Under 
the present management there seems a strong 
probability that the object for which the insti¬ 
tution was founded, will honestly receive a 
fair share of attention,—an example of refor¬ 
mation that should be followed in the manage¬ 
ment of more than one other falsely styled 
agricultural college. 
The Illinois Industrial University has 
now 15 Professors—two chair6 being vacant. 
There are ten Professors of the Industrial Arts 
and Natural Sciences. The e have seven as¬ 
sistants. Theie are three Professors of Lan¬ 
guages and Literature—one of Ancient, one of 
Modern and one of English. These have one 
assistant. There are distinct Professorships 
of Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary Sci¬ 
ence, Agricultural Chemistry, Architecture, 
Civil Engineering and of Mechanical Engineer¬ 
ing. 
Of the 317 young men in attendance hut 
year. 170 were In the industrial or Natural 
Science courses, 100 iu the Literature and 
Science comses, with 47 Elective, or Prelimi¬ 
nary. 
Subdividing this classification, there were in 
Agriculture, 27; Architecture, 12; Civil En¬ 
gineering, 33; Mechanical Engineering, 37; 
Chemical course, 47; Natural History course, 
14 ; English and Modem Languages, 89 ; An¬ 
cient Languages, 11. Each student Is required 
to have at least one study each term, selected 
from a prescribed list relating to Agriculluie 
and the Mechanic Arts. Aside from this, 
choice of studies is allowed. 
Wheat Culture.—IIow to Double tbe Yield 
and luercase the Profits, by D. L. Curtiss. This 
is a small, paper-bound pamphlet of 72 pages, 
12 mo., which Is a compendium of what ts at 
present known on the subject of which it 
treatB. Price 50 cents. Published by the 
Orange Judd Company, 245 Broadway, N. Y. 
Premium List of the State Agricultural and 
Mechanical Society for the i3th Annual Fair 
to be held at Columbia, S. C., November 9th 
and 12th. Thos. W. Holloway—Pomaria, 
Secretary. 
J. T. Lovett, Little Silver, N. Jersey—Cata¬ 
logue of the Monmouth Nurseries, Strawber¬ 
ries, Raspberries, Blaeberries, Gooseberries, 
Currants, Gnfpes, Cranberries—also fruit trees. 
Bowkek Fertilizing Company, 81 Ex¬ 
change Street, Rochester; 3 Park Row, New 
York, and 43 Chatham Street, Boston. Bow- 
ker’s Grain Phosphate Circular. 
Circular No. 70.—Illinois Crop Prospects. 
Consolidation of Reports returned to the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture, Aug. 2, 1880. 
BEYOND THE MISSISSIPPI. 
Just as I was trying to collect my scattered 
thoughts, and briDg them into readable form, 
my tympanum was assailed by an ominous 
grunt; aud as visions of a devastated cabbage 
patch danced through my excited brain, I 
sprang up from my study chair, catching a 
towel that hung near wherewith to cover my 
auburn locks, and rushed frantically to the 
fray. By dint of the exercise of luug and limb, 
and with the help of Nick—not OH Mick —the 
garden was soon cleared of intruders, the hole 
in the picket fence patched as none but a wo¬ 
man can do it, and once more 1 was seated 
ready to enjoy the glory that belongs to the 
conqueror. This is some of the variety that is 
said to he the “ spice pf life ” but for my part 
I am willing to dispense with condiments, and 
live on plainer fare. 
But some reader is sayiDg, “What has this to 
do with life ‘ Beyond the Mississippi ?' ’’ A 
great deal, 1 assure you. It is the frequent 
experience of thousands that are living in the 
West, and who are but just rnakiug a begin¬ 
ning. They have purchased either a tract of 
wild land, having all the fencing to make, or 
are trying to bring some old, neglected, halt- 
fenced, und poorly improved farm, into abetter 
condition. In either ease the leuces arc in¬ 
sufficient to protect the growing crops. There 
is work enough for three, aud only one man 
to do it, and in undertaking too much, his 
strength fails, sickness follows, and as other 
evils in their turn are heaped upon him, ha 
